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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28626873">Just Hold Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy'>agoldengalaxy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunter X Hunter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hugs, M/M, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepy Cuddles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:54:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28626873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Up late studying one night, there’s a knock on Leorio’s door. It’s the person he least expected, but most wanted to see.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>124</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just Hold Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>they’re in love but kurapika is big sad</p><p>kudos/comments always appreciated!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Words swam off the pages, blurring together in a swirl of white and black. Leorio wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring at the same paragraph, but he did know he was no longer retaining a single thing from his notebook. He blinked blearily up at the clock on his wall, showing him it was nearing two in the morning already. Studying would have to be put on hold for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yawning loudly into his hand, he pushed his chair back to get to his feet. He was grateful he’d caught himself this time - he’d often wake up early in the morning hunched over his desk, and that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> good. Not for his stiff neck, not for the marks his glasses would leave on his nose, and not for the pages of his notebook that would accumulate little pools of drool. As he did way more often than he should, he quickly checked his phone. He’d been hoping to hear from a certain someone, but it was just a text from Gon saying hello. Leorio smiled a little, typing a quick reply that he was sure Gon would be happy to wake up to in the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slipping the phone into his pocket, he stretched his arms above his head, moving to turn off his desk lamp when a quiet knock made him freeze in place. Casting a glance toward his door, he thought his tired brain must have imagined the sound, but then it came again, just a little louder. Who would be at his door at two in the morning? “Who’s there?” he called, a frown pulling at his lips as he fumbled for something to protect himself; before remembering he could just use Nen if he really had to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He received no spoken answer. Just another knock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath, he approached the door, peeking through the peephole. Suddenly, he was wide awake. His heart dropped into his stomach and he immediately fumbled with the lock, throwing open the door. It took all of his willpower to keep from yelling. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Kurapika!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blond stood, eyes cast down to the floor, suit ruffled and dirtied, but no visible injuries.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Thank God</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Kurapika swallowed. “May I come in?” his voice was soft; almost numb. Leorio had been busy checking him over, but the question and tone of voice made him stop. It took a moment, but he found his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y-Yeah, sure.” He opened the door a little wider, and Kurapika thanked him quietly before stepping inside. A thousand questions were swirling through Leorio’s mind, but only one was the most important. As he shut the door, he turned to his friend, who still refused to meet his eyes. “Are you...okay?” Kurapika kept his back to him, though his gaze took in his modest apartment. There was a long, long period of silence, which worried Leorio more and more by the second. Slowly, Kurapika turned around, brown eyes flitting up to Leorio’s for a moment before dropping down to the floor again. And he moved forward, and kept walking until his face rested against Leorio’s chest. “Kurapika…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just…” his voice was still soft, though the word broke a little in his throat. “Just hold me for a minute. Can you do that? Please...?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leorio’s eyes widened, and he was frozen in place for a moment. He’d never seen Kurapika like this; not to mention, he came to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of all people. His cheeks warmed. “Yeah, okay.” Carefully, his arms came to wrap around the other, and he could feel him relax a little. He rested his head atop Kurapika’s, still wanting to ask so many more things, but he found himself just standing there, silent, for once. It had been weeks since he’d last seen Kurapika; a lot must have happened since then. Still, he was glad to see him, despite it all. Having him so close was...nice. Really nice, actually.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no telling how long they stood there. For some reason, it seemed neither of them wanted to let go. He’d probably never admit it aloud, but he really had missed Kurapika. And maybe a small part of him hoped that Kurapika felt the same way about him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But still, they couldn’t just ignore the situation at hand. Slowly, Leorio pulled back, taking the other by the shoulders gently, concern on his features. He finally met his eyes; Kurapika’s were half-open and there were terribly dark, deep shadows under them. Any question he was going to ask disappeared and was replaced with, “When was the last time you slept?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter,” came the mumbled reply, and for a moment, Leorio saw red.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course it matters, Kurapika!” he exclaimed frustratedly, immediately moving to guide his friend toward his bedroom. “You need rest. You may be strong, but you’re still human.” Sitting him down on the edge of his bed, he frowned, noticing his eyes had completely closed now. So he sighed and bent down a bit, removing Kurapika’s suit jacket and moving to start working on his tie. The blond, normally so composed and put together, could only lean forward and rest his head against Leorio’s shoulder. It made it harder to focus, and his fingers fumbled as they tried to remove the tie. It must have been days since the other last slept. His body was shutting down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the very least, he was grateful he wasn’t hurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, he found himself successful and he tossed both the jacket and tie to the floor, gently taking Kurapika by the shoulders and slowly laying him down against the pillows. Carefully, he removed his shoes and stood up, exhaling slowly. Kurapika had curled up onto his side then, gripping some of the sheets lightly in his hand. Leorio, gently draping the blankets over him, supposed that he would be sleeping on the floor tonight. It was worth it, if it meant Kurapika would be okay. Besides, how could he be angry when he looked so sweet? So...cute.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thought shocked and embarrassed him, and he was grateful that it was not said aloud. His cheeks flushed and he stepped back, taking another look at his friend before turning to leave. “Leorio…” he froze; how was Kurapika still awake, after all that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” he asked softly, turning around, approaching the bed slowly. The blond’s eyes were still closed, and he was clearly struggling for coherent thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you…” he mumbled, weakly clenching and unclenching the fistful of sheets, chains jangling softly. “Stay. Stay with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It felt as though Leorio had been dipped into ice water, and then immediately thawed out. His face was on fire, and he could hear his heartbeat echoing in his ears. This was fine. Friends shared beds all the time, right? Right. He was fine. This was fine. Besides, Kurapika needed support, he needed him. Who was he to decline? “Okay.” It came out as a whisper, and, feeling as though his body was not his own, he slowly reached forward and pulled back the covers, slipping underneath them beside his friend. Kurapika nestled closer, still curled in on himself, but close enough that Leorio could feel his breath on his arm. And he stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, still trying to process it all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he glanced down at his friend, a single ray of moonlight framing his face perfectly, he couldn’t help but stare. Kurapika looked at peace, and relaxed, for the first time in awhile. Lips slightly parted, hair falling into his eyes, breath quiet and even. Leorio couldn’t resist the urge to reach forward, gently sweeping the hair from his forehead. And for just a moment, a small smile appeared on Kurapika’s unconscious face, before disappearing again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, man. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leorio was in trouble. Deep, deep, trouble. He couldn’t...he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wouldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> admit it. There was no way he had a crush. No way in hell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then again, his heart showed no signs of stopping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was afraid he might be awake for the rest of the night, but eventually, Kurapika’s soft and even breath lulled him to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And when he woke in the morning, Kurapika’s arm was thrown across his chest.</span>
</p>
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